New sonic myths - Elton Dean (CBS S-64539 - 1971)


... of course it's provoking... a 1971 cannot be, per-se, new... or not?

New is - t me - if it now sounds like-new to my ears, shining and amazingly satisfying and new - as well - to many of you, so...

I had this very wax for many decades, now... but only recently, as today, I'm fully, completely able to enjoy it from first to last groove, as in my aural memory it sounded like an extremely heavy listening experience: ultra dynamic, live recorded at Advision Studios in London in May 1971, the shimmering cymbals are very life-like and loud, VERY loud... sure not an easy task for smaller tweeters as someone so often simply forget that high frequencies aren't less loud than miss or lows!

Now completed Gotorama sings with aplomb and ease... an awesome performance, indeed.

I suspect only my cherry-picked, sought after, beloved Lumiere DST and Neumann DST be able to so well render the impressive blend of drums, cornet, sax, electric piano and electric and double bass.

On the long first side first track "Ooglenovastrome" music is truly lysergic, a so English free-jazz, and the audio system is asked for its very best to stand killer dynamics and non blurring the climax...

You should be able to follow with no effort all the layers and instruments inter-vowing to each others back and forth.

Soundstage is extremely broad and far exceeding speakers side boundaries, still keeping a rock-solid center-stage.

Marvelous, timeless music!

This disc makes to my ears the pair with Hugh Hopper's 1984, always a Soft Machine's member and a long-time friend and collaborator of Elton Dean in several, different combos.


This music - like electric Miles' - sounds to me like the perfect soundtrack for my actual mood: makes my blood flowing at a different speed and makes me happy.

I was almost in tears listening to last album track Part: The Last... just wanted more and more!

Isn't music about this, uh?

Find your copy and enjoy music and sonics, pals.

Stefano Bertoncello